Patterns for Pirates

P4P stylish, modern, wearable patterns

Grace Dress- Easy Hacks

Ahoy pirates! The newest P4P pattern is here and it’s a must have. The gorgeous Grace dress features so many sleeves options but we just had to show you one more. We couldn’t let this release happen without showcasing probably the easiest hack in the history of hacks…the Grace flared sleeve.

 

Djem here, with another simple hack for some cool flared sleeves! Can’t decide between the flutter sleeve or the bishop sleeve? Want a mash of the two? Flared sleeves is the answer!

This can be done using either the 3/4 sleeve or long sleeve bishop options. Simply omit the elastic and then finish the hem using the narrow hem instructions for the flutter sleeve. Voila!

 

Facing Hack

If you, like me, are getting ready to cut out the fabric for your Grace Dress and realise that you have forgotten to buy your lining fabric, you can very easily make a facing instead. It won’t work if you are using a translucent fabric, like a chiffon (as you will be able to see the facing through the main fabric) but for the crepe I had picked out for my Grace, it worked perfectly. 

 

First of all you will start by taking your main bodice front and back pieces, and drafting your facing pieces. I use a projector these days, but if you have a paper pattern you can use a tracing paper or just re print the pages that give you the necklines of both bodice pieces. 

 

Take your front bodice and trace off the original neck cutline, then using a measuring tape or ruler mark 2 inches away along the length of the neckline. Then join the dots. You can use a French curve to help you here. 

 

Do the same for the back bodice neckline. These will be your facing pieces. 

 

Cut these out of your fabric and you will have two pieces that look like this. 

 

Then cut out the same facing pieces from a light weight interfacing. This will help stabilise the neckline and give a better finish. Apply the interfacing to the wrong side of your facing pieces following the manufacturers instructions.

Sew them together, rights sides together, at the shoulder seams. 

 

If you haven’t already, sew your front and back main bodice pieces together at the shoulder seam. Then lay your facing pieces, rights sides together with the main bodice pieces, matching the fronts and backs together and matching the shoulder seams.  Sew them together around the neckline. Making sure not to stretch the fabric as you sew. 

 

Finish the raw edge (the long, outer curved edge you haven’t just sewn to the bodice) of your facing using a serger or your preferred method.  Using a sharp pair of scissors, like these duck bill scissors, CAREFULLY trim down your facing seam allowance only to a ¼”. This will layer the seam allowances and reduce bulk. Then clip along the neckline, up to, but not through, the seam line. Turn through and give it a good press. 

 

You now have two options. You can use a hemming tape, like this Wundaweb, to fuse the facing to the outer which stops it flipping out, or you can top stitch the facing down. I did both! 

 

That’s it. You can now finish the rest of your garment as per the tutorial. 

Enjoy your beautiful new frock.

 

Happy Sewing! 

Dana x

 

How gorgeous do Djem and Dana look? I must admit, I will be adding these sleeves to my next Grace dress. I am thinking lace! I can’t wait to what your take will be on the Grace dress.

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 7

Wow!! I am so in love with all your Lumberjack shirt! You have outdone yourselves this past week. My little one said this was one of his favorite sew alongs I did. Could it be because he was the recipient of this shirt? 😉 “Mom, it’s so cool. I’ll wear it today at school!” This Lumberjack shirt was less than $9 in materials. Score!

 

But enough about me! Let’s give out some prizes!

First winner is Tammy Richards! Tammy won a $20 gift card from Patterns for Pirates and a mystery Fabric 4 Pirates package. Look at these 3 ( yes, THREE!) beautiful Lumberjack shirts she made for her loved ones. 

Our runner up is Barbara Wong. Barbara won a $20 gift card from Made for Mermaids. The Lumberjack she made looks so cozy and those covered buttons are mighty cute!

Thank you so much for joining the P4P sew along for January. I pass the baton to Colleen for the February SAL. See you back here in March! 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 6

Good morning friends! You did it!! You made it to the last sewing day. All we have left to do today is to hem the bottom and add the closures.

HEMMING

The Lumberjack features a 1/2″ hem allowance and a curved hem. Since the shirt is woven, I find it easier to run a serger stitch along the raw edge and press 1/4″. Stitch down then fold again 1/4″. Sew with a slightly longer stitch going very slow where the front plackets are. That part is pretty bulky. Give your hem a good steam press so that you eliminated any waviness from sewing the curved hem.

CLOSURES

Time to put the finishing touch on your Lumberjack. Choose your favorite closure and mark the placement. The pattern includes a marking guide that you can print, no additional tools needed. If you add buttons and buttonholes, take a look over our  Buttons 101 P4P University blog. I give you some tips and tricks for a smooth process. For my Lumberjack I opted for metal spring snaps. I love the look of these metallic snaps and how easy they are to install. You can see how I added them in the video below. 

Great job!! All you have left to do is add your final photo to the comments of day 6 photo in the Lumberjack SAL album. That’s where the team will pick the two winners. There is still time to catch up. Winners will be announced on Tuesday. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 5

Hello, friends and welcome to day 5 of the Lumberjack Sew Along! We are almost there! I love seeing all the beautiful shirts being created this week. Today we tackle the collar or hood. 

Hood

For a more sporty look and “easier” construction you can add a hood to your Lumberjack. The hood can be made of either knit fabric or woven so you can get really creative with it. Line the hood with sherpa for a super cuddly one or line it with a fun minky print for an extra little something. Once you sew the hood pieces right sides together along the curve, place the lining and main right sides together. Sew along the face opening, turn right side out and top stitch. All you have left to do is attach the hood to the neck opening and finish the raw edge with single fold bias tape. I highly encourage you to use store bought bias tape, it will save you so much time. In a pinch, you can certainly create your own. 

Collar

Oh the dreaded collar! Let me guess! It’s the “scariest” part of shirt! I hope I can convince you today that collars can be fun and not so difficult. The key to a great looking collar is making sure that the seam allowance is correct throughout. Another advice I have for when creating the collar is to press as you go. Remember to fuse the interfacing to the lining pieces of both the collar and the collar stand. If you added woven cuffs yesterday, you will find that the process is pretty similar today. Do not skip pressing 1/2″ hem on the collar stand bottom lining! Just as for the cuffs, prepressing this fold helps tremendously when enclosing the raw edge of the neckline in the collar. 

You can see in the day 5 video how I added the woven collar to my Lumberjack. Once you finish your collar or hood, post a picture of your progress in the comments of day 5 photo of the Lumberjack  sew along album. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 4

Welcome to the 4th day of the Lumberjack sew along. Today we finish the sleeves with either cuffs. 

Knit cuffs

The simplest way to finish the sleeves is with a knit cuff. Make sure that the fabric you use has great recovery and stretch. My favorite bases for cuffs are cotton spandex, rib knit and french terry. It is very important that you follow the grain of the fabric when cutting the cuffs. Lastly, press! Press and press some more! You will love the finished cuffs much better if you press throughout.

Woven cuffs

I opted for the woven cuffs for my Lumberjack. I love the classic look. If you have not done the vertical slits marked on the pattern pieces, now is the time to add them. You will now bind the opening with the fabric piece that is cut on the bias. Remember, the lining is the interfaced piece. 

Tip: Do not skip pressing the lining 1/2″ along the bottom. It will make a world of difference when you stitch the cuff on. 

If you need any visual help, take a look over today’s video. I show you step by step how to add  woven cuffs to your Lumberjack shirt. Once you finish the steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 4 photo of this sew along album. 

 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 3

Ahoy, pirates! Today, on day 3, we add the sleeves and sew the side seams.

Sleeves

Start by running a basting stitch along the curve of the sleeve. Gently and ever so slightly pull on the basting threads so it creates a faint gather. This will help when easing the sleeves into the sleeve opening. Pin the sleeves to the bodice, matching the shoulder seams with the notches. Stitch down with a 1/2″ seam allowance making sure that there are no puckers or folds along the curve. 

If you are doing the unlined option, finish the raw edge with your serger or a zig zag stitch. If you are sewing the lined option, repeat these steps for the lining. 

Inseam pockets

Before you sew the side seams you have to add the pockets. You will notice that the pattern features two different pocket shapes depending on whether you line or not your Lumberjack. While the unlined pockets may seem “odd” they, are drafted this way so they will be stitched into the front placket. This will ensure that the pocket won’t peek out from under the shirt when worn. 

Make sure that you add the pocket placement slits/marking from the pattern pieces! It’s highly important that you follow the marking instructions. 

Side seams

Once the pockets are sewing in the side seams, place the shirt right sides together matching the underarm points. Sew with a 1/2″ seam allowance. If you opted for the unlined style, finish the raw edge with your serger. If you are doing the lined style, sew the side seams of the lining as well. Place your lining into the main, wrong sides together. Going forward you will treat this as one piece. 

Front placket

Press the front placket along the first fold line, then along the second one. Pin the lining front or the unlined option pockets in the front placket fold. Stitch down and press. 

You can see today’s video below. Once you complete the steps, post a photo of your progress in the comments of day 3 photo of the Lumberjack SAL album. See you back here tomorrow when we will sew the cuffs. 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Lumberjack Sew Along – day 2

Welcome to day 2 of the Lumberjack sew along. Today we create and sew the chest pockets and the shoulder seams. This shirt features two optional chest pockets that tie the lumberjack look together. I would not skip them. Judy is showing you some tips to help you sew the chest pocket below.

I sew my chest pockets slightly different so definitely check out today’s video as well. I give you my tips and tricks for achieving a beautiful looking chest pocket. Once you added the chest pockets to the two front pieces, you are ready to sew the shoulder seams. 

If you are doing the lined option, you will be sewing the shoulder seam right sides together of the lining pieces as well as the main. I opted for the unlined style for my Lumberjack shirt so we will be sewing the shoulder seams using the burrito method. First, place the outer yoke and back piece right sides together. Now sandwich the back piece in between the right sides of the outer and lining yoke. Stitch in place and top stitch. Roll the back piece into a “burrito” and bring it up so that the front shoulders are sandwiched in between the RTS of the back yoke lining and main fabric. Stitch and optionally top stitch. 

You can see all these steps in today’s video. Once you complete day 2 steps, post a photo of  your progress in the comments of day 2 photo of the sew along album. See you back her tomorrow for day 3! 

Lumberjack Sew along – day 1 | cut fabric

Lumberjack Sew along – day 2 | chest pocket, shoulder seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 3 | sleeves, side seams

Lumberjack Sew along – day 4 | cuffs

Lumberjack Sew along – day 5 | hood/collar

Lumberjack Sew along – day 6 | hemming, closures

Lumberjack Sew along – day 7 | winners announcement

Paperbag Pants + Skirt :: New Pattern Release!

Guess what day it is?? It’s pattern release day!!! And we’ve got a doozy of a pattern to tell you all about. It checks off SO MANY requests that we’ve had come in over the last few years.

Let’s talk all about the new Paperbag Pants + Skirt patterns, in both youth and adult sizes!!

You will have so much fun sewing up these simple bottoms with the adorable paperbag ruffle top! They’re on trend and comfortable with an elastic waistband.  They’re perfect for woven fabrics with no stretch, stretch wovens or even a stable knit.  The ruffle along the top of the waistband is adorable and fun to wear year round paired with a tank or a cardigan.  You can pink the perfect length shorts from 3″ or 5″ inseams.  The above ankle capri pant is an adorable more fitted pant you can easily dress up or down with different tops and shoes.  You can go short with a mini skirt or longer with a knee length.

Pair any of these options with adorable patch pockets big enough to fit your giant cell phone in comfortably! You can go all out and add belt loops and a tie belt to tie everything together as well!

*Want to learn more about how to measure yourself for these pattern?  We’ve got you covered with an in-depth blog HERE.  And in case you’re new to Patterns for Pirates and PDF patterns in general, we have a great blog full of new-user tips HERE to help you get started!  As with all of our current releases and updates, the pdfs now include our layers feature and can be found in Letter, A4, A0 and projector sizes.  And for even more helpful fun, we have a free* printable that you can use to help record your measurements as you take them.

The options include: Options include:  3″ or 5″ inseam shorts for adult/ shorts, 26″ capri pants, mini for adult/mid thigh skirt, knee skirt, patch pockets, belt loops and tie belt.

Let’s take a look at the different ways we can sew up these patterns!

SKIRT LENGTHS (MINI + KNEE)

SHORTS (3″ INSEAM / 5″ INSEAM ADULT)

ABOVE ANKLE PANT LENGTH

PATCH POCKETS

BELT LOOPS + BELT

What are you waiting for?  Head on over and grab yourself a copy of the Paperbag Pants + Skirt patterns!  They are available on sale (no code needed) through 11:59pm CST, July 19, 2021.

PAPERBAG PANTS + SKIRT | PAPERBAG PANTS + SKIRT – YOUTH | PAPERBAG PANTS + SKIRT – BUNDLE

Maybe hoping for a little more inspiration before you make the purchase?  Head over to our Facebook group where you can see tester albums full of amazing images!

Paperbag Pants + Skirt Album | Paperbag Pants + Skirt – Youth Album

If you’re looking for even more options, we show you a few more ways you can use this pattern in our Paperbag Pants + Skirt Easy Hacks post.

 

P4P University – Interfacing for Garment Sewing

 

The correct use of interfacing is one of the main things that takes your garment sewing to the next level.  Today we will be talking about different types of interfacing, why you might want to use it and how to correctly apply it.

 

The first thing we need to clarify is the difference between stabiliser and interfacing.  Getting these two confused is easy to do, and people can often buy the wrong one for their needs, but their uses are quite different.

STABILISER

Stabiliser is a type of textile used to add extra weight to a particular part of a piece of fabric, usually so some sort of decorative work can be added to that section.  For example, you might add stabiliser to the wrong side of the front of a pair of children’s pyjamas to add some embroidery or applique to the bodice.  The stabiliser helps keep the fabric from distorting when adding the decoration to it.  It can be left on, trimmed down or torn off after use, depending on it’s type.  The picture below shows some embroidery on the reverse of a pair of pyjamas.  You can see the tear-away stabiliser still sitting between the A and the Y, after the rest has been removed.

INTERFACING

Interfacing is a type of textile used on the wrong side of a fabric to make that particular area stronger/more weighty.  For example it is often used in shirt collars to help them stand upright.  The interfacing gives the fabric more rigidity and is not removed, it is permanently attached. 

 

There are two types of interfacing, differentiated by the way you attach them to your fabric.  ‘Sew In’ interfacing is sewn onto the wrong side of your main fabric, within the seam allowance so it is not visible when the garment is finished.  Alternatively it can be quilted on in a particular pattern of your choice, so that it is visible when completed.  It seems to be less popular these days, but is the traditional, couture interfacing.

More popular is ‘Fusible’ interfacing.  This is the same as ‘Sew In’ but it has a layer of heat activated adhesive on the wrong side, which means it can be ironed directly onto the wrong side of your main fabric and adheres permanently.  The instructions for ironing will either be printed on the selvedge, if you have bought it by the metre, or they will be on the packet if you have bought it bagged.  It is important that you ensure the interfacing is fully adhered before sewing the garment together because otherwise it can start to peel off and look messy. This picture below shows an example of an iron-on interfacing attached to the wrong side of a piece of cotton.

 

Interfacing comes in many different weights, from a light weight interfacing used to add a little extra body to the facing on a silk blouse, to a very heavy weight interfacing used to reinforce the brim of a cap/hat.  I used a medium weight interfacing along the placket of my So Classic Sundress to give added support for the poppers and stop it distorting with wear.

Pattern instructions will advise you which weight of interfacing you will need, so that you can ensure you purchase the type needed to get the finish shown in the pattern listing pictures. For example, the Timeless Tunic notions require a lightweight interfacing for adding body to the neckline facing to help it keep the correct shape.

You will also find interfacing used in woven patterns to add body/structure/strength to shoulder seams, around pocket openings, along plackets, in collars, and even over entire bodice and sleeve pieces in jackets and coats.

KNIT/STRETCH INTERFACING

As well as woven interfacing, you can also find knit/stretch interfacing used for adding greater structure or strength to knit fabrics.  It can be used to stop these fabrics from stretching out too far, for example it is often used around pockets in a knit dress, so that the dress doesn’t become misshapen with use.  I like to use it to add greater structure to the front of my Go To Jacket before sewing on the zipper, as it helps stop the fabric stretching out when attaching the non-stretch zipper to the stretch fabric.

 

In this video I discuss a few different types of interfacing and show how they are adhered to fabric.  Sometimes seeing the fabrics being handled can give you a much clearer idea of what they would be like to use in real life.

Whichever type or weight of interfacing you need, the pattern you are using will give you details of what you need and when you need to use it.

 

Now that you know more about how to use interfacing, why not take a look at one of these patterns above or the Timeless Tunic or Tiny Timeless and put your new found skills to use.

 

Happy Sewing!

Dana x

 

 

 

 

 

 

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